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Ethics and Religion Talk, by Rabbi David Krishef

Abortion is a hot-button issue at any time, much less in an election year. It raises so many hackles that it is nearly impossible to have a reasonable discussion among people who disagree. The panel has been asked about abortion and I promise that we will address it in the coming months. But for this week, we're going to tackle a related, but much less explosive, issue.

Reader Eric Wilson asks, “If your tradition is opposed to the use of birth control - in general, in specific cases or just specific types of birth control - explain why this is the case.”

Here's how the panelists respond:

Sister Mary Timothy Prokes, a member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist in Lowell

"Catholic faith holds human sexuality precious because it can express the gift of self in life-giving, love-giving union. In marital intercourse, a woman and a man are able to express their mutual self-gift bodily, are able to mean what they say and say what they mean as one flesh.

"This is profound. Pope Paul VI explained in Humanae Vitae that this self-gift, when authentic, involves the possibility of another person being conceived. So, he wrote, 'To use this divine gift destroying, even partially, its meaning and its purpose is to contradict the nature both of man and of woman and of their most intimate relationship, and therefore it is to contradict also the plan of God and His Will.'

"When condoms, inhibiting devices or medications are used to divide the love-giving and life-giving meanings of human intercourse, they sabotage the truth of person-gift, sexuality and marriage. Using 'birth control' for casual, recreational sex is simply, sadly dehumanizing. The Catholic Church treats the truth of sexual activity as a precious reality, not as a matter of legalistic imposition.

"Natural Family Planning is a responsible, truly human alternative to 'birth control.' A full explanation of why this is the case would go beyond the space limitations of this forum."

Rev. David Christian, associate pastor of Resurrection Life Church in Grandville

“A woman’s body does not belong to her; neither does a man’s body belong to him - they’re given by God. 'For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.' (I Corinthians 6:20)

“Life begins at conception. Sperm joins egg, and God adds soul and spirit. This means that children arrive through their parents, but they are a gift from God for a blessing. Jeremiah and many others in Scripture were marked by God from the womb for a divine purpose, as were you.

“Using abortifacients is abhorrent, because they end a life already in formation. Using contraceptives is acceptable by most of us; some do avoid them, adhering to the Genesis command to replenish the earth, which we do not believe to be obsolete."

A Jewish view

Traditional Jewish law does not permit types of birth control that collects semen for later disposal, based on a passage from Genesis 38:9, "But Onan, knowing that the seed would not count as his, let it go to waste whenever he joined with his brother’s wife, so as not to provide offspring for his brother."

Condoms are forbidden by all Orthodox authorities based on this passage. Vaginal sponges, which soak up the semen and provides a barrier to the cervix is permitted by very few. A diaphragm, which does not collect semen but only blocks the cervix, is permitted by a greater number of authorities. The intrauterine device is broadly permitted, as are various types of hormonal contraception.

However, since there is a positive commandment to "be fruitful and multiply," traditional Jews will not use birth control until they have fulfilled the obligation to reproduce themselves - to have at least two children.

One final note: a careful reading of Genesis 38 reveals that Onan did not die because of the destruction of semen, but rather because he refused to honor the family line of his brother, who had died childless. Therefore, rabbis from the Conservative movement tend to permit barrier contraceptive devices, including condoms.

Although each of the three respondents take different views on birth control, the theme of the sacredness of the physical building blocks of human life is common among us. Do you belief that religious faith has a role in the most intimate sanctum of the bedroom? How does your religious tradition honor fertility and sexuality?

As always, please share your view in the comments below, and email any of your own questions on ethics and religion that you would like the panel to consider. We welcome the questions that you encounter from day to day, the questions on your mind, large and small.

Ethics and Religion Talk is compiled and written by David Krishef, rabbi at Congregation Ahavas Israel in Grand Rapids. Krishef takes questions from readers and shares them with a panel of clergy, then provides the responses in collaboration with MLive.com reporter Matt Vande Bunte. Please submit questions from your own day-to-day encounters to EthicsAndReligionTalk@gmail.com.